San Blas, Panama

10th Feb - 20th Feb, 2022

Passage from Curacao to San Blas ,Panama. 4.5 days, 6.7 knots. To avoid the high winds off he Colombian coast, we sailed 719 Nautical Miles to get there. Passed our 30,000 NM during the passage. Enjoyed every mile :-)

Some facts about San Blas and their Kona people: The San Blas Islands are a vast archipelago on Panama's Caribbean coast composed of over 340 islands. Worldwide they are unique in many ways, home to the indigenous Guna Indians, who have best preserved their culture and traditions out of all the tribes in the Americas, yet being reachable by small airstrips built by the North Americans during the second World War. The San Blas Islands and the associated mainland territory is called Guna Yala by the autonomous Guna Indians. Gunas don't like the name San Blas since it was given by the Spanish invaders. The Gunas are accepting visitors, but prohibit any non-Guna from permanently settling or intermarrying. Foreigners can not buy land or invest in Guna Yala. The Gunas are physically small, healthy and have boundless of energy, and they are very friendly.

Clear in in Porvenir, San Blas Panama was very easy and convenient. You couldn't get your Cruising permit here though but our agent Erick get that for us and sent it via email, so we are set to go and explore the San Blas


This island is almost only like a airstrip....

We are anchored a little off the airstrip on Porvenir

A local fisherman came up and had some lobsters for sale

Bought two delicious ones

Dinner is served

These are pictures of the small, but densed populated islands next to Porvenir. Wichubhuala, Nalunega and Smithsonian

This island want probably exist in a near future due to ocean rising levels

Picture from inside the village on the island of Wichubhuala

An old lady sitting comfortable sewing her "Molas"

Another old lady laying comfortable in the shade in the hammock sewing "Molas"

A cute happy dog wants to say hi

The Kuna people are really good sailors. It's amazing to see them sailing in their canoes. Often one man is sailing and another one is getting the water out of the boat, bailing out

Anchored in Lemon Cays. Very nice resort with huts on the ocean front for rent

This is the beautiful anchorage in Chichime Cays. Very popular among cruisers and lots of locals coming here for the weekend

The chef and his pig. No, we didn't have pork for dinner ;-)

Dinner on the beach with fellow American cruisers

This island of of Chichime was just stunning. Loved all the beautiful Palm trees. Great for a stroll

Another beautiful island, Green island. The village had some pigs, dogs and chickens.

This is how Coconut trees reproduce

Horizon framed by coconut trees in her anchorage

Green island was nice but we wanted to have a little bit more wind fore the night so we moved out to this tiny island. A fellow cruiser that we met here said that in just six years this island have shrunk enormously . Scary thoughts, The San Blas will probably not exist anymore in a couple of decades if the ocean level continues to rise :-(

Having a good time with newly friend cruisers from Namibia, Sardinia and Italy

Barbeque on the island

Delivery of groceries from the local boats. Not very reliable, but it happened :-)

Spectacular last evening before we set sail the next morning for Linton Bay